ElderlyDaily — Senior Care Reviews

Where to start

You do not need to know which page you need. Pick the problem that sounds closest to what you are dealing with, and follow the steps in order — each one is a free assessment, guide or checklist that already exists on this site.

My parent is falling

Your next steps

Falls are rarely caused by one thing, so the path below moves from finding the causes to fixing the home to choosing the right support.

  1. Fall Risk AssessmentAssessmentIdentifies which risk factors are actually present.
  2. Home Safety ChecklistFree toolWalks the home room by room so the hazards above become a fix list.
  3. Mobility Aids GuideGuideExplains what each type of aid is for before you compare specific models.
  4. Walker vs CaneCompareThe first real decision if balance is the problem.
  5. Rollator vs WalkerCompareMatters once you know a cane is not enough.
  6. CanesEquipmentFor steadying an otherwise independent walker.
  7. RollatorsEquipmentFor longer distances and anyone who needs to sit and rest.
  8. Night LightsEquipmentNight-time trips to the bathroom are a common fall moment.
  9. Balance ExercisesGuideThe one thing that lowers fall risk rather than working around it.

My parent is struggling in the bathroom

Your next steps

The bathroom is where most household falls happen. Work outward from the specific task that has become difficult -- washing, or using the toilet -- rather than buying equipment first.

  1. Bathroom Fall PreventionGuideCovers which moments in the bathroom are actually the risky ones.
  2. Home Safety ChecklistFree toolTurns the hazards into a room-by-room fix list you can work through.
  3. Grab Bar PlacementGuideWhere a bar goes matters more than which bar you buy.
  4. Tub Bench vs Shower ChairCompareThe main decision if getting in and out of the tub is the problem.
  5. Measure Before You BuyFree toolSeat height and capacity are the two things people get wrong here.
  6. Shower ChairsEquipmentFor anyone who cannot stand safely for a full shower.
  7. Grab BarsEquipmentPermanent, weight-bearing support at the points you identified above.
  8. Toilet Safety RailsEquipmentIf standing up from the toilet is the difficult part.
  9. Non-Slip Bath MatsEquipmentThe cheapest change that addresses the actual slipping surface.

My parent has difficulty walking

Your next steps

Start by matching the level of support to how they actually move now -- the wrong aid gets abandoned, or makes balance worse.

  1. Mobility Aids GuideGuideWhat each type of aid is for, before comparing specific models.
  2. Walking Aid FinderFree toolFive questions to narrow cane vs walker vs rollator for how they move now.
  3. Fall Risk AssessmentAssessmentWalking difficulty and fall risk usually share causes worth checking.
  4. Walker vs CaneCompareThe first real decision once you know how much support is needed.
  5. Rollator vs WalkerCompareMatters once a cane is clearly not enough.
  6. How to Walk With a CaneGuideA correctly used cane on the right side; commonly got wrong.
  7. Helping Someone Stand UpGuideSafe technique matters as much as the equipment.
  8. RollatorsEquipmentFor longer distances and anyone who needs to sit and rest.

My parent lives alone and I worry about them

Your next steps

Separate the question of whether living alone is still safe from the question of what would make it safer -- they have different answers.

  1. Should My Parent Live Alone?AssessmentWorks through supervision needs rather than a yes/no gut call.
  2. Signs Living Alone Is No Longer SafeGuideThe specific changes that mean the situation has shifted.
  3. Seniors Living Alone SafelyGuideWhat to put in place if living alone is still the right choice.
  4. Home Safety ChecklistFree toolLiving alone raises the cost of every unaddressed hazard.
  5. Medical Alert DevicesEquipmentThe single change that most shortens time-on-the-floor after a fall.
  6. Monitoring SystemsEquipmentFor passive reassurance without a worn button.

My parent is coming home from hospital

Your next steps

The highest-risk window is the first few weeks home. Most of it is preparation you can do before the discharge date.

  1. What to Expect After DischargeGuideSets expectations for the first days home.
  2. Home Equipment ChecklistResourceWhat needs to be in the house before they arrive, not after.
  3. Setting Up the HomeGuideRoom-by-room preparation for someone with reduced strength.
  4. Safe Transfer TechniquesGuideBed, chair and toilet transfers are where re-injury happens.
  5. Weakness After a Hospital StayGuideExplains why strength drops fast and what recovers it.
  6. Preventing ReadmissionGuideThe avoidable causes of going straight back in.
  7. Fall Risk AssessmentAssessmentFall risk is usually higher after a stay than before it.

My parent has dementia

Your next steps

Dementia care is a series of specific problems rather than one. Start with the behaviour that is hardest right now.

  1. Dementia Care at HomeGuideThe overview to orient from before going into specifics.
  2. Dementia Home SafetyGuideThe hazards that are specific to memory loss, not general ageing.
  3. WanderingGuideThe behaviour with the most serious immediate consequences.
  4. SundowningGuideIf late-afternoon agitation is the hardest part of the day.
  5. Building a Daily RoutineGuidePredictability reduces the behaviours above more than any product.
  6. Day ClocksEquipmentOrientation to time and day, which reduces repeated questions.
  7. Door AlarmsEquipmentAlerts you at the moment wandering starts.
  8. GPS TrackersEquipmentFor finding someone quickly once they are already out.
  9. Caregiver Burnout AssessmentFree toolDementia caregiving has the highest burnout rate; check your own load.

I do not know how we will pay for this

Your next steps

Work out the real cost first, then go looking for what covers it. Most families miss funding they qualify for because they never find out it exists.

  1. Senior Care Cost CalculatorFree toolPuts a real monthly and yearly number on each care option.
  2. Grants and Financial HelpResourceFederal programmes, VA grants, Medicaid waivers and local help, in one place.
  3. Using FSA/HSA Money for EquipmentGuideMoney you may already have set aside — and the dependent rule that decides whether you can spend it on a parent.
  4. Does My Parent Need Assisted Living?GuideThe cost question usually turns on this one first.
  5. Rent vs Buy: Lift ChairsCompareA worked example of the rent-or-buy maths that applies to most big equipment.
  6. Care Needs AssessmentFree toolIf you are not yet sure what level of care you are budgeting for.

Not sure which one fits?

The care needs assessment is a good general starting point — it asks about daily living, mobility, memory and safety together, then points to the areas that need attention first.

Start the care needs assessment